Guy guard



March 14, 1933. T, BIRKENMAIER GUY GUARD Filed Aug. 24, 1951 www LII.

I IIIIFINIIIll/IIVUII.

|11; HW mwN/W y .ll 4 @um 1111 lmm VLM@ PatentedI Mylar. 1`4, 1933UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THEODOEE BIRKENMAIER, Yor sT. LOUIS,VMrssoURi, ASSIGNOR To w. N. MATTHEWS OORPORATION, or sT. LOUIS,MISSOURI, A CORPORATION or MISSOURI Y -(TUY GUARD Application med August24, 1931. seriaiNo. 558,898.

This invention relates to guards, and with regard to` certain morespecific features, to guards for guy strand and the like. This inventionis an -improvement on United 5'States patent to ClaudeY L. Matthews etal., dated May 12, 1931, No. 1,805,251, and. my Patent N o. 1,893,981,dated January 10,1933.V Among the several objects of the invention maybe noted the provision. of a guard `for application to guy strands andthe like which has an improved reenforcing means associated with certaingripping portions, and the provision of reenforcing means of the classdescribed which isV formed' integrally with the,V guard, and whichreenforces a considerable portion of the guard. Other objects willV bein part obvious and'in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises they elements and combinations ofelements, features of construction, and arrangement of parts which willbe exemplified in the structure hereinafter described, and the scope ofkthe application of which will` be indicated in the following claims. a

In he accompanying drawing, inwhich is illustratedone of variouspossibleembodi` ments of the invention,

Fig. lis a top plan view of a guardv embodying the invention;`

Fig. 2 is a. side elevation of the guard of Fi 1 Fig. 3 is a right endelevation of the guard of- Fig. l; and, f

Figs. 4 and 5 are detail top plan views showing steps in the applicationof the guy gripping portions of' the guard to a guy strand. Y

Similar reference characters indicate cor- 40 responding partsthroughout .the Vseveral views of the drawing. Y

The term guy strand in the present specification and claims isinclusiveof strands adapted to function for all purposes and includes wire, ropeand cable.`

As stated in said patents, above referred to, guy strand used to guypoles-or the like to ground anchors and the like forms a source ofdanger to persons, animals, or Obgects moving about near itandaccordingly should,l

Y"be shielded. The purpose is tomake the l presenceof the guy wire orstrandknown to persons to prevent Atripping and to prevent the catchingand/or tearingV of such things as may come into contact with thefastenings associated with the attachments between the strand randanchorrod or the like.

clamping the shields to them. f The shields so lclamped are usuallyeither so loose that they It is s dillicult to'shield these guysbecause, dueto 's theirV small diameter, difliculty arises in guy guardformed in one piece, easily manui factured, shipped and installed andadapted Y to be substantially immovably fastened to the guy strands,wire or thelike. The present invention distinguishesover the abovepatent and application in that certa-in guyr gripping membersandclampingportions have been reenfo'rced to effect a stronger guard.

Referring now more particularlyto Figs. 1 and 2, there is illustrated atnumeral 1 a guy strand terminated at, and fastened to a guy rod 3, by aguy clamp 5.V Theguy rod k3 has an eye portion 7 formedV thereon toreceivev the guy strand 1 in a looped position. -The guy clamp 5 maybeof any of various known types, but preferably'hasy a base portion 9,

f and a top portionfll, eachportion 9 and 11 s having a plurality ofholes therein, an-d when juxtaposed areadapted to receive bolts 13 forbolting said portion together, yand a bolt 12 for purposes hereinafterdescribed.'

At numeral 17 is shown a guard installed on the guy strand 1y and theguy 'rod-3. The guard 17 is preferably, though not necessarily, formedfrom sheet metal such as galvanized `iron or the like, and comprises atrough-shaped' body portion 18, an eye portion 19 at one end, and vguy.gripping mem-Y` s bers 21 and 22 at vthe opposite end of saidbodyportion. The body 18 also has formed therein, as shown at numerals41, a plurality of arranged depressions having a flat portion 45l and a,hole 43 preferably centeredr inV the flat portion 45. As lshown atnumeral 19, '100' s i the eye portion of the guard 17 is substantiallyiat and extends appreciably beyond the body 18. Further, the hole or eye20 formed in the eye portion 19 is elongated to provide an adjustableattachment.

The nestable trough-shaped body portion 18 may be of any shape such asparabolic, semi-circular, triangular, rectangular, or the like and maybe of any convenient area. In the present invention it is in the form ofa trough;

The provision of the eye 19 and the depressions or portions 41 adaptedto be clamped, serve to make the use ofthe guard 17 iexible. rIhus theeye 19may be fastened with the clamp 5 or one of the depressions 41 maybe bolted to the clamp. 5 while the eye -19 extends to the ground.

The guy gripping members 21 and 22 are j spaced apart to freelyaccommodate the guy strand 1 when the body portion 18 is .insubstantially a rightangular position to the cable 1 (see Fig. 4).Notches 23, provided in the' gripping members 21 and 22, are adapted to;V receive andengage the guy strand 1 when the body portion 18 is turnedand longitudinally aligned with the guy strand 1, as shown in Figs. 5and v6. Moreover, as the Vguard is aligned with the guy strand, thecenter line of the notches is positioned so that the guy strand willfinally be secured appreciably inside of the edges 49 of the guard (seeFig. `Flanged, turned-overedges 25 on the notch 23 ofthe member `21, andpart of the notch of the member 22, provide a substantial and slidablecontact between the cablel and the gripping members 21 and 22. Y

The upper edge of the notch 23 of the outer gripping member 22 has amovement limit,-

ing portion 47 extending from the member 22 and at substantially rightangles thereto, and toward the member 21; As shown more particularly inFig. 4, the eXtension 47 serves t'o prevent the cable 1 from passingbeyond the notches 23 of the members 21 and 22 when the guard 17, atright angles to the guy strand 1, is positioned 'to receive the guylstrand 1 as shown in Fig. 4. VThus the'eX- tension 47, aligns the guy 1with the notches 2123 as the guy 1 is positioned between the members21and 22.

A flap or tongue 51v extends from the member 22 to the body 18 of theguard 17 as shown in the drawing. This tongue 51 constitutes areenforcing member and is riveted to the body 18 as shown at numeral 53.

The guards as described in the aforementioned United States patents,under unusual circumstances such as when subjected to lan j unusuallyheavy blow at the regions of thev gripping portions 21 and 22 sometimeswere likely to spread because of the blow, the guy* 1 forcing themembers 21 and 22 Vto flatten the guard body 18. The tongue or extensionV51serves to .prevent this spreadcausedfby "to the cable'l so that thespace between'the gripping members 21 and 22 receives the guy strand 1(see'Fig. The portion 47 eX- tending from the member22 seats the strand1 and aligns the cable 1V with the notches 23 sothat as the body portion18 isbrought into alignment with the strand 1, the notches 23 receivethe guystrand-l, and thus the guy gripping members21 and 22 frictionallyhold one end of the guy guard 17 to the strand 1. IVhencthebody portionis finally brought into alignment with the strand 1, it is slid-v ablylmoved along the strand 1 to permit the eye portion 19, or one, of thedepressed portions 41, to be juxtapositioned over the clamp ,5, andsecured thereto by the bolt 12. f

F rom-theV above description it will thus.

be seen that a guardhas been provided for the guy wire 1 which is firmlyheld, on the` guy wire, against any rotation or shaking in either of thepositions shown in Fig. 1. Further, only one bolting operation isrequired to secure the guard 17 in place. Furthermore, an alternativefastening means has been provided in order that the type ofl guy rodused may be accommodated.

An advantage ofthe invention is that the gripping members have beenreenforced and are no longer vliable to deformation by a heavy blow. Thefeature is of considerable importance for guards of the class described.

are frequently subject to relatively heavy blows such as occasioned byvehicles colliding or scraping with them. l

In view of the above, it will be seen that lthe yseveral objects of theinvention are achieved and other advantageousresults attained.

As many changesicould be made in carry-V ing out the above'constructionswithout departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended thatall matter contained in the above description or shown in theaccompanying drawing shall A, be interpreted` as' illustrative and notin a limiting sense.

I claim:

1.` A guy guard comprising alongitudinal body portion, spaced grippingmeans formed on said body portion, lsaid means being adapted to freelyreceive a. guy strand therebetween when said body portion Ais angularly`disposed to said guy strand, said means being adaptedA to securelyengage'said guy strandL when said body portion is angularly turned tosubstantially align with said strand, and means associated with saidgripping means adapted to reenforce said means, said reenforcing meanscomprising a strip extending from one of said gripping means andfastened to said body portion.

2. A guy guard comprising a longitudinal body portion, spaced grippingmeans formed on said body portion, said means being adapted to freelyreceive `a guy strand therebetween when said body portion is angularlydisposed to said guy strand, said means being adapted to securely engagesaid guy strand.

when said body portion is angularly turned to substantially align withsaid strand, and f a tab extending from one of said gripping means tosaid body portion, said tab being fastened to said body portion wherebysaid spaced gripping means are reenforced.

3. A guy guard comprising a longitudinal trough shaped body portion,spaced gripping means formed on said body portion, said means beingadapted to freely receive a guy strand therebetween when said bodyportion is angularly disposed to said guy strand, said means beingadapted to securely engage said guy strand when said body portion isangularly turned to substantially align with said strand and meansassociated with said gripping means adapted to prevent'the spreading ofthe sides of said body portion.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this21st day of August, 1931.

THEODORE BIRKENMAIER.

